PCOCA may figure at Cabinet meeting today – The Tribune

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

Under fire from the Opposition over the spurt in crime, the Congress government is expected to bring in the Punjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA) before the Council of Ministers for deliberations in the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
However, the proposed law, aimed at empowering the state to deal with organised criminal gangs more effectively, could meet the same fate as during the regime of the previous Akali-BJP government. Official sources told The Tribune that though the said law would be brought up for discussion tomorrow, it would be referred to a Cabinet sub-committee.
This sub-committee is likely to be asked to study the provisions of the law and give their final verdict on its implementation.
It may be noted that the previous government had also proposed to bring in PCOCA in July last year, but it was shelved after there was near unanimity in the Cabinet to re-examine the provisions of the Act, which is modelled on the controversial Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The law was then sent to the Advocate-General office for re- examination.
The new law, if enacted, would make the confessions made before an SP-rank officer admissible as evidence. All electronic evidence gathered by the police in a case, would become valid proof for 10 years. An officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police or above will be eligible to invoke PCOCA, after citing why the said crime cannot be covered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).